1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a railcar cleanout door, particularly a gondola railcar cleanout door.
2. Background Information
In the railroad art, rolling stock comprises all vehicles that move on a railway. A gondola railcar, or simply gondola, is an open-top type of rolling stock used for carrying loose bulk materials. One explanation for the seemingly oddly named railcar is that prior to the proliferation of rail transport in America a significant amount of coal was shipped via flat boats that were termed “gondolas,” generally in satirical reference to the famous Venetian rowing boats.
With the advancement of rail transport, the railroad cars first employed in the haulage of coal were thus named after these shallow-draft “gondola” boats and called “gondola cars”. In the second half of the 20th century, coal haulage shifted from open hopper cars to high-sided gondolas. Using a gondola, the railroads are able to haul a larger amount of coal per car. Examples of gondola cars are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,212,252; 4,361,097; 4,911,082; 5,253,593; 5,335,603; 5,488,912; 5,813,353; 6,148,735; 6,978,720; 8,132,515; 8,240,256, which patents are incorporated herein by reference establishing the general nature of the relevant art.
It is common for aggregate gondola cars to have multiple clean-out doors, also called access doors, built into the side structure for removing small amounts of residual material from the car and/or to wash out the railcar interior. The clean out/wash out can be particularly important if the car is changing from hauling one type of lading to another. Car maintenance is another reason for requiring a thorough removal of residual lading. Typically the cleanout doors are simply hatches or doors that close against the floor of the gondola railcar, examples of which can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,681,470; 2,722,899; 7,434,519; 7,461,600; 7,559,284; 7,757,611; 7,878,125, and 8,025,014 which patents are also incorporated herein by reference. Russian Patent 2271292 discloses a hatch formed on the rounded gondola tub of a railcar.
Some of these prior art gondola railcar cleanout door constructions fail to provide sufficient access to the railcar interior, while others prove structure that is difficult to open or provides a structure that is insufficiently robust to withstand the harsh working environment and/or lifespan of components expected for gondola railcars.
It is an object of the present invention to address these deficiencies of the existing prior art and provide a cost effective cleanout door structure that simultaneously provides sufficient access to the railcar interior, and that is easy to open and that is sufficiently robust to withstand the working environment and long lifespan of components expected for gondola railcars.